Not everyone is meant to go to college.  There, I’ve said it.  I know that goes against everything that an academic should believe, but it’s true.  Not that I wouldn’t encourage students to go to college of course because I believe that learning is essential to living a full life – that when we stop learning, we die.  But not all learning comes from books and lectures set in ivy covered buildings.

I recently read an article about how a high school teacher in California allegedly said that those in the military are “failed students who had no choice but to serve” and that  “They’re not academic people.  They’re not intellectual people”.  This is probably the most arrogant statement I’ve ever heard.  As a person who was raised in a military family and whose son served in Afghanistan, this is quite the insult.  But it also insinuates that anyone who chooses not to follow the path to college and a white collar job is a lesser human being.

The truth is, there are many paths to learning.  My brother became an electrical engineer by doing an apprenticeship with someone, learning what he needed by experiencing the business from the ground up.  Some people go to community college, or maybe learn a trade or business from their family, We can learn through traveling, or perhaps reading and researching those things we’re interested in.  I’ve known plenty of people who pushed their way through school to earn a degree only to discover that they’re miserable doing the job once they graduate.

And where would we be without those tradespeople who keep us going on a daily basis? Those electricians, plumbers, craftsmen, IT people, construction workers, etc., who  build things, work on our cars, repair our computers, take caring of our plumbing needs and in general, make things and keep things in working order.  I don’t know about you, but my wonderful college educated husband scares me when he says something about fixing something.  And there’s a reason for that.  That’s when we call in a professional, and not usually someone with a college degree.

Everyone has their own gifts, talents and learning styles.  Some people love to work outdoors, others prefer to work at a computer, some like working with people, others thrive working on their own.  It takes all of us to create a society where we help each other, understanding that one gift is not any more important than any other.  Let’s take a school for instance.  Yes, it is full of teachers and administrators, but also the cooks who create the meals served to the students, the custodians who keep the school clean, the nurse who takes care of students in a variety of ways, keeping track of students’ medication and working with other caregivers for students with special needs.  And the secretaries who keep everyone on schedule, and well frankly, run the school.  Not everyone has a degree and yet the school would fail to run successfully without everyone involved.

So as teachers, are we doing a disservice to our students if we are continually pushing them towards a college degree?  Are we getting to know them well enough that we can help them move in the direction of their interests and passions regardless of whether or not that means college?  Do we dismiss those students who struggle academically but who flourish when doing something more kinesthetic?  Do we dismiss those students who are considering a career in the military if we are personally anti-military?  Do we discourage students who want to pursue a passion for the arts because it’s not “practical”? We need to be careful.  We need to encourage kids but not push.  We need to guide but not assume we know them better than they know themselves.

This world is made up of billions of unique human beings, human beings who have a purpose on this earth to follow their dreams and passions.  Dreams and passions which may or may not include college.  It’s important for us not to become arrogant as though we hold all of the answers to life-long success, however we should continue to encourage our students to follow their own path to fulfillment.  Our society will be better for it.